


The Distance of Time

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Series: The Distance of Time | Birds of a Feather [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Angst, Crying, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Baggage, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not lying when I say there's a lot of talking, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Internal Conflict, Intimacy, Monologue, Platonic Romance, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27392086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: When a stranger shows up one morning at Poppo Time, Bruno catches a glimpse of the past. Crow tells him the bigger picture.(Can be read as a standalone!)[DO NOT REUSE/REPOST MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]
Relationships: Bruno | Antimony & Crow Hogan, Bruno | Antinomy/Crow Hogan, Jack Atlas & Fudou Yuusei & Crow Hogan
Series: The Distance of Time | Birds of a Feather [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983496
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by someone on one of my Discords saying they wanted more Crow angst, particularly about his past. I wanted that too, so I had to write it myself. orz 
> 
> Hehe, I managed to tie my series title in, omgs. :D

Bruno woke up to the sound of loud banging at the garage door. He got up from his makeshift bed, letting out a yawn. By how lit the room was, it was some time after dawn, though still very early, and if whoever was knocking didn’t stop, Missus Zora will come down with another complaint. 

“I’ll be right there, please wait,” the designer called out, walking up the ramp. He yawned again as he opened the door, and he blinked, coming face to face with a young man. 

He was shorter than Bruno (like everyone else), and he wore a dark red hairband, pushing loose strands of yellow hair from his face. He had tired green eyes with dark bags. He was an attractive man, a Facility tattoo in the shape of a thin bar running across the bridge of his nose. He was dressed rather plainly, wearing a dark muted hoodie and a pair of dirty torn jeans. He looked like he didn’t want to stand out, his shoulders hunched and his head kept down. 

“You’re not Jack,” the young man said, glancing up. “Or Yūsei.”

“No, I’m Bruno,” the designer said, smiling politely. “Jack and Yūsei won’t be back for about a week. Do you want to leave a message?”

“It’s fine, I’m looking for Crow. Is he here?”

Bruno nodded. “I can get him for you.” 

The designer was hesitant though; the bird had come home rather late, and it was still pretty early. Crow was catching up on sleep, and Bruno would hate to disturb him. Their budget was in the red (again), but Yūsei said it was important that he and Jack go meet Grieger. Crow agreed, even though he’d be taking on more work for a while. 

Fortunately, the other man shook his head, biting his bottom lip. “No, just tell him I’ll be back tonight,” he said.

“Sure,” Bruno said with a nod. “Can I give him a name?”

“Hiro.”

With that, the stranger took off, walking out onto the street. He didn’t spare a glance back, but for some reason, it didn’t feel like he had anywhere to go. It was lonely to watch him go.

Unable to let go of that meeting, Bruno didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he headed upstairs to make something to eat. He was awake now, and he was curious about how Crow knew Hiro. And why Hiro looked the way he did. Too bad people were nothing like a system program or machinery. Those were easy to understand; people, on the other hand, hid things. Meeting them was just scratching the surface, and getting deeper could take a whole lifetime. It required a patience Bruno had never tried before—or a patience he didn’t remember.

The designer stayed as quiet as he could as he cleaned himself up in the bathroom, changing into his usual clothes. He headed back into the kitchen, making himself a cup of instant coffee. Bruno wasn’t actually much of a coffee drinker. He guessed he missed the smell of it in the mornings. It’d been two days since Jack and Yūsei left for their trip, and their absence was quiet and noticeable. It was odd to go from a full house to half empty, even if it was temporary. 

He left his cup on the kitchen counter as he cooked. He made enough for two, something that could be wrapped up and saved for later. He hummed as he cooked, and he was interrupted by doors opening and closing. Moments later, he heard Crow walk in. 

“Morning,” Bruno said, giving the bird a quick glance. 

Crow wasn’t fully prepared for the day, seeing that he was just in his tank top and spandex. He’d combed his hair at the very least, his orange locks falling over his shoulders. “Morning,” he replied, opening the cabinet. He was making his own cup of coffee.

“Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Nah, I just got hungry and woke up.”

Bruno smiled. “Good timing then. I’m just about done.”

“Yay,” Crow cheered softly, taking a seat at the table. 

The kitchen was quiet. Later, two plates were placed down, and Bruno joined Crow for breakfast.

“Thanks,” the bird said, digging in. This wasn’t the first time they’d eaten a meal together, and they settled in comfortably. 

“Someone showed up earlier,” Bruno said. “He was looking for you.”

“I think I heard it. Who’d want to see me so much? Banging so loudly.”

“I’d like to know too. He said his name was Hiro.”

Crow paused, looking surprised to hear that name, and he dropped his fork. He quickly collected himself, picking at his food now.

“You know him, right?” Bruno tried gently. 

“I know him,” Crow said, forcing a smile, “or at least I used to. I met him right after Jack left the Satellite, during my time with Robert.”

Bruno saw that sad expression on Crow’s face, the one that was stricken with guilt and remorse. It was hard to know people, but sometimes, it was so easy to read them. “Do you want to talk about it?” the designer asked, offering a hand. "Anything really, I'll listen."

Crow looked at Bruno, gray eyes filled with so much to say. He seemed hesitant though not unwilling. “Promise you won’t tell Jack or Yūsei?” he asked. 

That made Bruno raise an eyebrow. What was there that Crow didn’t want his best friends to know? 

“Please?” the bird added, putting on a smile. “I don’t want them to know.”

Bruno nodded before he realized it. “Yeah,” he replied. “I promise.”

Crow relaxed just a bit, taking a bite of breakfast. He might not be in the mood, but he'll finish it because he hated wasting food.

"How much did Yūsei tell you?" he started. "About when the Satellite was still the Satellite?" 

"Not much," Bruno replied. "Seeing Neo Domino how it is now, it's hard to think it was any other way."

"Sometimes, it's hard for me to believe that it became like this actually. Zero Reverse happened the year I was born. I don't remember my parents at all, so I can't be sure when they abandoned me. Or if they died. I grew up on the leftover slums that were once Domino City, I lived like a rat with the other kids. We were pretty lucky there were some adults who had some sense of responsibility and checked up on us, but for the most part, we were on our own. 

"A bunch of us picked up dueling with whatever scraps we found. A single card was like a chest full of treasure, but you needed to be smart to get enough for a full deck. You had to be because dueling was how you made a bit extra. Beat a guy in a duel and win his card, or maybe he gave you a bite of food. The kids went after adults. We'd lose most of the time, duh, but we kept trying. A bunch of us became friends, and we helped each other out.

"I guess I was seven when a bunch of other people from Neo Domino came to the Satellite to set up orphanages and shelters. The powers that be weren't going to let people out of the Satellite, but they weren't going to stop people from going in. People like Martha and Dr. Schmidt were like saviors. They gave up their nice jobs and homes to help us. Because they are good people. 

"When everyone heard about the new orphanages and shelters, kids started leaving the junkyard for their very first beds and warm meals. I went too, and that was how I met Jack and Yūsei." 

"I thought that you guys had always been together," Bruno commented. "You're pretty close, aren't you?" 

Crow smiled at that. "Actually, we started pretty bad. None of us knew what a family was supposed to be like. We didn't know how to act, or how to feel. Martha did the best she could, being outnumbered thirty to one. Guess how we finally got along."

"You dueled."

"Mhmm. By then, Yūsei had Stardust and Jack had Archfiend. They bonded quickly over that. The only reason they paid me any attention was because Jack thought I got picked on a lot, which wasn't true. I was just small for my age, and Jack was a tall kid. He shouldn't have been making comparisons, but he said it to me anyway and that he and Yūsei were going to look out for me from then on because Martha said it was the older kids' responsibility to take care of the younger ones.

"So I told him, 'I am seven, not a baby, go away.' Apparently, Yūsei thought it was funny and asked me to duel. I was able to keep up, even without a strong card like them. We became best friends pretty quickly, and at some point, they were also my brothers and we were always together from that point."

Crow let out a laugh. "Can't tell you how many times we got into trouble," he said. "I think we almost died a few times, but that's probably my kid brain making everything bigger than it really was. Honestly, when we were together, it seemed like nothing could ever hurt us. We were unstoppable. Years later, Yūsei found some decent hubble, and we moved out of the orphanage. I was thirteen then." 

"You were thirteen?" Bruno repeated, a little shocked. He'd forgotten just how young everyone was. "Why didn't you stay? Waited a few more years."

"And get left behind? No way. They asked me to come with them, how could I say no?" 

The designer nodded. He understood that, but he didn't know why exactly. 

"Martha taught us how to take care of ourselves, and if we left, there'd be more space for the other kids," Crow continued. "She didn't want us to go, but we already made up our minds. Then Yūsei met Kalin not long after that and brought him in. He fit right in, and we were doing pretty good by ourselves."

He stopped for a moment, chuckling a bit. "You've never met Kalin. At that time, he was the coolest guy around. He was tall, handsome with a big idea about unifying the Satellite. Yūsei took to it pretty quickly, hormonal teenager and all.” Crow snickered again. “That was a joke. Jack and I took some time, but when we were convinced, the Enforcers became live and running. We really wanted to make our home a better place, try to do what nobody else wanted to, or could. Sector Security wasn’t about keeping the peace like it is today, just the status quo. 

“They didn’t care that we were running around knocking other Satellite trash around, so a lot of the things we did were brushed off. Satellite politics didn’t matter as long as we kept to ourselves and obeyed City’s laws. It took us, I don’t know, half a year to a year before we had almost all the territories under our control.”

Crow paused, taking a sip of his coffee. Bruno was hanging on every word.

“For a second,” the bird said slowly, “it was the best feeling in the world. We did it, we were the head honchos, and nobody could come back at us because we destroyed all their duel disks. Picking fights can get you the reputation as the tough guy, but winning duels was how you got attention. It showed that you were both strong and smart, and nobody wanted to face the group with the top duelists around. Back then, it was a badge of honor to beat Security. You could get away with a lot like that.

“Things were looking up. We were reaching the end of our goal, and it was almost time for us to _do_ what we said we’d do, make the Satellite a place that people could actually be happy to be a part of, a place where people could find satisfaction in. If the scum of the Earth could come together to create something like that, then maybe Neo Domino would realize that that wasn’t what we were. That we were people just like them.

“That didn’t happen. I wasn’t as close to Kalin as Yūsei was, I didn’t know what was running through his head, but he changed, and everyone else could see it.”

He paused again, mulling over his next words. “Have you ever gotten that feeling that something was already over before it was over? Like you’re on a runner and you’re heading right into a brick wall and you see the crash in your head? That was what I felt. I found Kalin beating up on some poor kid from the last gang. He went too far. We were supposed to help people, not hurt them. We fought a little before Jack and Yūsei found us. That was the first and last straw, so I quit. The Satellite wasn’t going to be a better place if we did things like _that_.”

“We can’t always stop the inevitable from happening,” Bruno offered gently. “Sometimes, the only thing we can do is pick up the pieces and make do.”

Crow gave the designer a smile, shaking his head. “It wasn’t Kalin who messed up,” he confessed, his gray eyes staring off in the air. “It was me. I jumped off the runner first, without trying to steer us in the right direction. Jack left too. Yūsei stayed. We separated for the first time in years, and that was the nail that drove a split in our family.” 

He stopped, looking down at his cup. He’d stopped eating for some time already, and so had Bruno.

“Kalin got too ambitious. Security was starting to crack down on dueling. I shouldn't have left. If not for him, then for Yūsei. He stayed because that’s the person he is, he wasn’t going to let his friend go down alone, but he was just a kid. We all were. In the end, Kalin was just sixteen with an ego that was going to get him killed.

“He would’ve, had Yūsei not stopped him, but then it was too late to help Kalin. He’d just blown up part of a Security base, and he was going away for a long time. There was no changing that. Jack and I heard about what happened, and we came back. Yūsei tried to take the fall, but they already knew it was all Kalin. And one of the officers had the nerve to _thank_ Yūsei for putting our friend away.

“You couldn’t imagine the look on Yūsei’s face when Kalin believed that, calling Yūsei a traitor.”

Bruno didn’t comment, even when Crow paused again. 

“The Enforcers disbanded,” the bird said. “Yūsei was being eaten up by his guilt, and Jack was . . . Jack was unhappy. Being in the Satellite was too much and too little at the same time. Yūsei started working on making his own runner, secluding himself to the subway tracks. He made new friends there. Jack hung out by himself in his theater hideout, keeping people off his new turf. You might not believe it, but he didn’t talk much then. The three of us weren’t on speaking terms actually. Because we just decided to do our own things. 

“I turned my attention to the kids who were still living on the streets. I just thought we needed some time away from each other. We just needed to figure things out by ourselves. It was hard, at least for me. We’d never been apart like this for so long before, I still hoped for the best. I thought it was going to be another one of our fights. We had plenty of those growing up, and someone was going to give in and we’ll be together again. Like always.

“But it was different this time. We changed, or at least Jack and Yūsei did. That was how it felt for me. Jack wanted out, and there didn’t seem to be anything to keep him from going.”

“He told you?” Bruno asked, curious.

Crow shook his head. “I could see it in his eyes. He and Kalin are the same age, but he didn’t want to end up like Kalin. He wasn’t going to let himself fall, so when the chance came, he left. When I heard what he’d done, I was _so_ angry. I couldn’t believe Jack could do something like that. We were supposed to take care of each other, _not_ use each other. 

“It hurt Yūsei more than anyone else in the world, and suddenly, catching up was the only thing on his mind. He wanted his card back, and to get back at Jack. He became obsessed with runners, looking for whatever he could use, metal and cards. He would stay underground for days on end without stepping out, Rally and the others hanging around to check up on him. I stopped seeing him as often, only when I came around really. I met Robert and the rest by then.

“Robert had a dream, one that let the kids reach their potential, and I wanted nothing more than to help him. We were going to build engines for runners with scrap from the Satellite. It gave something for the kids to do, and I thought if I learned more, I could help Yūsei too. With his own runner. It just took a very long time to realize that I just didn’t want to be left behind.” 

Bruno was caught by surprise when he saw tears fall down Crow’s face, his gray eyes dark with so much thought and memories as he relived the past. The designer was unable to stay still, coming close to wrap his arms around the younger man. 

Crow did not push him away, hugging back. 

Bruno had never seen him cry before; he always thought of the bird as unwavering, _so certain of himself and his place_. In this moment, however, Crow was anything but. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already have the next part done and finishing the last part up. This fic is a lot closer to 10k that I expected. Also, Orinthoptershipping (Crow/Bruno) supremacy! Come ship them with me!!!


	2. Part 2

There was still some time before noon when Bruno had Crow on his lap, hugging the bird around his middle. There was a fresh cup placed on the coffee table. 

Since living at Poppo Time, the designer had witnessed plenty of his friends' subtle intimacies, and he noted that Crow liked sitting on his brothers' laps, whether to relax or relieve some stress. He was glad that Crow allowed him to take their place. 

"Thanks," Crow said, resting his cheek on Bruno's chest. He'd stopped crying since they moved to the couch. "I miss them, but it's bearable. Not like back then because I didn't know if they'd come back from wherever they were heading. Jack was so far away as the king of Neo Domino. And so was Yūsei. 

"Robert, Bolton, and the kids made it easier to deal with everything. Helping Robert's research helped distract me from my thoughts. At the same time, I wanted someone to fill up the empty space Jack and Yūsei made. That was when I met Hiro."

"The man from this morning," Bruno said out loud. He'd almost forgotten what started this conversation. 

"I hope and don't hope so," the bird said softly. "It wasn't through Robert that I met him. He was the older brother of one of the newer kids, Sakura. Hiro was a smuggler in a crew back then, selling contraband and food. He was just a yeah older than me, so we got along pretty quickly.

"We got pretty close actually. He listened to me, and I listened to him. We shared some nights together. It was comforting to be with him, especially on the days I couldn't help but think I should've shut up and stayed."

"That wasn't your fault, not now or then."

"I told myself that all the time, it didn't make it any easier to believe. It was just one of those things you can't let go, trying to fix it in your head a hundred times, but you can't. Because you can't change the past."

Crow stopped. Bruno listened, trying to understand his friend's silence.

"A few months before Yūsei left the Satellite," the bird continued after some time, "I didn't get the chance to see him. A lot of things happened, bad things. It took a pretty hard toil on everyone, especially Hiro." He stopped, 

"What happened?" Bruno gently encouraged, resting his head on top of Crow's. 

"Sakura had been sick for a long time. Leukemia. She needed radiation therapy and medicine, but we couldn't afford the treatments. The Satellite didn't have the tech for it, much less people who knew how to handle it. Her best chance was in City, but it was impossible. No Satellite was allowed out. Her condition took a turn for the worse because when that winter hit and everything was just . . . _cold_. The most we could do was make her as comfortable as possible. 

"Hiro tried though, he tried everything. He loved his sister so much, she was the only family he had left. They were each other's whole worlds. But his bribes weren't enough for Sector Security or any of the big time smugglers, and by then, Sakura couldn't be moved without special care. Hiro almost went crazy. The only reason he didn't go off to do anything stupid enough to get him killed was because Robert reminded him that Sakura needed him to be there for her.

"I couldn't remember the last time I helped bury a kid." 

Crow stopped again, placing his hands on his face, and he let out a shaky breath. "She was only six. The only good thing was that she died in her sleep. She passed out again from all the pain the night before. Nobody knew about it until the next morning. Hiro woke everyone up, his scream was frightening. He was so sad and _angry_.

"Robert and Bolton did everything they could to comfort him, but Hiro couldn't accept his sister's death. He started blaming everyone, hating Sector Security and City for letting Sakura die. He was right to be angry. I just wanted to give Sakura a proper burial."

A small sob escaped the bird. "Wasn't it enough that so many of us lost the chance to have families?" he asked. "To be alive? So why did Sakura have to die so painfully too? _She was just a baby,_ I thought of her as my own. I loved her." 

Bruno didn't have an answer, he didn't know what to do so he said, "I'm so sorry, Crow." He pressed a gentle kiss on Crow's forehead. Bruno had no memory of having lost someone, a brother, a friend, a child, but he too mourned, grief transcending logic and knowledge. It was simply felt and known; words couldn't easily explain it, and yet, so many people knew its pain.

They stayed like that for a while, almost like before, Crow spilling his heart out quietly into his hands and Bruno keeping them together. This time around, though, the bird wasn't as caught up in the past. In his ear was Bruno's heart, and it beat calmly and consistently, calling Crow to _come back, back, back to me._

He sniffled, lifting his head a little as he started to wipe his face with the back of his hands. There were stains on his cheeks, his eyes red and swollen, and when he looked up, he smiled, reaching his hands up to brush away the tears on the other man's face. Bruno had not noticed them until then.

"Thank you," the bird said, pressing a gentle kiss on the designer's jaw. 

Instinctively, Bruno titled his head forward, resting his forehead on Crow's, and for a moment, they were simply sharing the space they occupied. Crow didn't pull away; he welcomed the act, and it was _gratifying_. 

Was this what it was like to bare yourself open to someone? To let them read you because you had flipped open your pages, even without realizing it? To read them because they had done the same, and to learn that you share the same stories, the same words, the same feelings? Bruno didn't know them; he did not remember anything before waking up on that beach, but listening to Crow stirred something in him, something that yearned for the past, for the ones he'd lost. He didn't know who _they_ were but only that he loved them. 

This wasn't the first time Bruno wished he could remember his past, nor would it be the last, but he would've been content enough just to know if he had been loved in return. 

"Do you want to stop?" the designer asked.

The bird shook his head lightly. "I'd like to finish," he replied, "if you're up for it." 

"Yeah, I am."

Crow nodded. "Hiro disappeared the day after we buried Sakura," he continued. "I knew he was going to do something like that, leave us I mean. He had the same look in his eyes like Jack, and I thought he was going to make something big out of himself. Jack left his home and his friends all behind, and he became Neo Domino's champion duelist. I really thought that this was all Hiro needed to push him, so that he would find a way to leave the Satellite. There was nothing to keep him there anymore."

"Is that why you never left?" Bruno asked. "Your kids, right?" 

"Yeah, I stayed for them. They're my lifeline, and I was just happy enough to show the joy that Duel Monsters could create. The bonds, the hope. I dreamed of being a big shot like Jack too, but I couldn't when there were kids to take care of, kids who wouldn't be able to make it on their own just yet. 

"Robert called me an idiot when I told him that. He said I had potential too and I needed to use it. He said to let him worry about the kids and that I needed to focus on myself also. Because he saw me as one of his, saw me like any other kid in the Satellite who just needed guidance and encouragement. He told me to chase after Jack just like was Yūsei so that we might end up on the same side again. He told me that it was time for me to let go of the past and reach for the future. He made me hopeful and reminded me that I wanted to be like my hero, the man who began the construction of the Daedalus Bridge, who we found out later was Rex Goodwin. 

"I'd never forget that conversation with him. It was right after Hiro left, and a few weeks later, the workshop caught on fire with Robert in it. I managed to save his Blackbird and Blackwings like he told me, but I wished he asked me to save him. He was a good friend, he meant a lot to everyone."

Crow let out a shaky breath. This time, he didn't shed a tear. Instead, his expression was sullen, eyes tired. "Bolton left for City after," he said, "and then it was just me and the kids. I was going to take them to Martha's because I'd never taken care of so many by myself, but Robert's death soon after Sakura's really shook them up. They didn't want me to leave them, or have anyone else take care of them. They made me promise to stay with them, and I knew I couldn't leave them. I just couldn't, I couldn't do what Jack did to me and Yūsei. 

"So I kept them with me and made a nest under Daedalus Bridge just for us. I did everything I could to make sure they were fed and taken cared of. Sometimes, it wasn't enough, and I had to resort to petty theft. I promise it was only against people who deserved it though. Like Sector Security." 

He pointed to the tattoos on his cheeks and the dot on his forehead with a laugh. "That's how I get these," he explained. "Luckily, getting caught for petty theft was considered a misdemeanor so even though I got marked, I only served several weeks total in a Facility. I got smarter every time. I hadn't started using Blackbird regularly yet and couldn't make quick get-aways."

"I finally came around to Yūsei after I got out the last time because I missed seeing his face. I thought he'd still be there, but he wasn't. He'd been gone for _days_. I hated that the first thing I thought was that he abandoned me."

There was a pause as Crow looked down with shame. "I thought they both abandoned me," he said quietly, "that I had lost my space, and that they only wanted each other. I remembered what it was like to be alone, to be without family. I still had the kids with me, but losing Jack and then Yūsei was like losing an arm and a leg. I felt their absence like a ghost, and it made the Satellite seem so much emptier than it ever did.

"I'd never had called anyone my family before. I cried so hard the first time they called they called me their sister. They cared for me, loved me. I knew they mattered so much to me, I just didn't know what it's be like when they were gone. I thought they forgot all about me and that they didn't love me like they used to. 

"That's a painful thing to think about, to even accept, so for a while, I was angry, and bitter. Mostly at Jack because he left first. He threw us away like trash and took everything that was worth something, Stardust, Yūsei's prototype, our trust. It sucked the first few months he left, but we— _I_ got over it. Because if he didn't want anything to do with me or Yūsei or the Satellite again, then it was his loss, not ours. 

"Everything was okay because I still had Yūsei, or at least I thought so. His mind and heart were really over there with _him_ , with Jack. He dreamed about getting pay back and Stardust. I thought I wanted that too. That was part of the reason why I wanted to help Robert so much, so I could help Yūsei. If I knew how to work runners, I could help him get to City and get him to see and beat Jack. The sooner the better because I wanted him to _come home_."

The bird thinned his lips, his brows borrowed low. It was a terrible expression because it was one of _shame_.

Gently, Bruno traced a thumb over the mark on the left side of Crow's face, tracing it carefully. He'd seen Yūsei do this exact thing, and it always seemed to comfort the younger man, who leaned into the touch affectionately. 

"I really thought if Yūsei stayed there too long, he'd forget about the Satellite, about his friends, about me," Crow continued. "What did we have to offer compared to City? It could give him the same fame and luxury that it gave Jack. People would've loved him because he's Yūsei, you know?" 

The designer nodded, smiling small. "Yeah," he replied, "I do." 

"And you know that he'd never do that, abandoned his friends I mean. I knew that, but I was so scared back then, scared that I lost someone I loved again. I was hurt, more than I ever had been. It wasn't enough to lose my smile. That, I kept because I still had my kids. They were my anchor, my hope. They kept me together, even when I felt like coming apart. So for a while, it was just us."

Crow paused, and a look of contemplation crossed his face, like he was suddenly hesitating to get to the next part. Bruno did what he thought was best; he gently pulled the bird's head down to rest back on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, and neither did Crow. 

The coffee had gotten cold, untouched on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only worry is leaving plot holes, but honestly, even if I did, I'm doing so much better than 4kids did, lmao.


	3. Part 3

Crow took a deep breath and exhaled. 

"Hiro reappeared then," he said. "It'd been months since I last saw him, and I was glad to see him again. But he wasn't the guy I once knew, he was doing bad. Like real bad. Last I heard, he'd left his smuggling crew and made nice with some dealers, running errands. He couldn't cope, so he did everything he could to forget. He was so thin and pale. I could see his veins. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, or eaten anything. He wasn't the Hiro I remembered.

"When he asked to stay at my nest for a few days, I didn't say no. I couldn't turn him away, and the kids were happy to see him again. They had been so worried, and they thought Big Brother Hiro was coming back. And it was fine the first few days. He played with them like he used to, helped out when needed. He was acting fine, even though his hands couldn't stop shaking and he broke out into cold sweats. 

"I knew he couldn't be trusted, not anymore. I knew why he came to find us, to find me. The last night he stayed was the last time I saw him. He came into the storage space where I was hiding Blackbird, when I was cleaning it up, and he asked me to spend the night with him. I told him no. He got angry and screamed at me, calling me a slut and a whore and everything in between."

Bruno whimpered softly, pained by those words. "That's cruel," he said. 

Crow shook his head. "He didn't mean any of it. He wasn't in the right place at that time, he was desperate so he lashed out. Hiro just wanted to feel . . . okay again, before the drugs, before Sakura died. I was the closest person he had left, I knew him more than anyone else did. I was his attempt to regain control and find comfort. He couldn't do it himself anymore, the drugs messed up his head. He _needed_ someone to be his crutch, someone to catch him. 

"I couldn't do it. Too many people were depending on me, and I was dealing with my own things. I had a lot of time to think when I was in the Facility, since Robert died. I didn't love Hiro like he thought I did. I— I loved him but only because I was using him as a replacement for Jack. He came at the right time, and I needed someone to fill the space. I got close to him for my own selfishness. Because I didn't know how to deal with my family broken up.

"So that was why I knew one night, or every night for the rest of our lives, wouldn't help him. He wanted to use me, pretend everything was like it used to be. He was looking for a reason to stay, _to be there_. That was why I said no. Because I couldn't help him. The timing wasn't right, and I knew he was wrong. I was never the person he needed, she was already dead. 

"I let him scream at me. The hiding spot was a good distance away from the nest, so the kids wouldn't hear him. He needed it, and I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," Bruno said without thinking. "You made a mistake, but you still cared for him. You didn't do it to hurt him."

The bird looked up finally, smiling with understanding, but his gray eyes held that bit of doubt. "I haven't figured it out yet," he replied. "I think, for now, it's enough to have realized my actions and my intent. I still don't know what I really deserve, but I have to at least accept what I'd done, accidental or not."

The older man could not reason against that. "Okay. Then what happened next?" 

"Hiro laid his hand on me. He grabbed me by my shoulder and forced me against a wall, and I got angry. I wasn't going to let myself be pushed around like that, so I pushed him away. That made him angrier, and he hit me. Right here." 

Crow pointed at the left side of his face, right below his temple. Bruno frowned, scanning the area as if he could still find signs of a bruise or a wound. There was nothing.

"That was the line he shouldn't have crossed," the bird said without regret. "I wasn't going to let him stay and give him the chance to do that again. I had to think about my kids. I wasn't going to let them see that happen and let them think it was okay for someone to hit them, even if it was by someone they knew and cared about. Those kids look up to me, they learn from me. I wouldn't be good for them if I kept Hiro around. 

"I'm all too used to fighting back when someone tries to pick a fight with me. You can pick up that kind of stuff as a kid in the Satellite. When someone hits you, you hit back, and I did. I punched Hiro in the face and broke his nose. Blood started to spill everywhere, but I didn't care. I just wanted him to leave, and I told him that. I told him to never come back around here again, and if he did, I'd break more than just his face."

"Did he leave?"

"Yeah, he left. He picked himself up and walked out without looking back. I never found out where he went next, I never tried. I knew if I did, I would've gone to look for him. I had enough people leave, and if I could've had them back again, I would've.

"That was sort of the wake up call for me then. I was still upset over Yūsei and Jack and everything that happened, but I made due. I did what I needed and focused on taking care of my kids. I took Blackbird out to the storage and never got caught by Security again. I had my deck and my ride, and I finally learned how to fly. If I was going to keep feeling bad about myself, I could at least use it to push me. I made it over to City less than a week later, and I brought back more cards than I could've ever gotten scouring junkyards and winning antes. 

"Even though I only crossed at night, being in City was as nice and pretty as it was from afar. The streets were clean, and the neighborhoods were peaceful. It was everything I imagined it'd be, but at the time, it felt empty. I didn't have a reason to go there except to come back with cards and other things like food. There was no one expecting me or waiting for me there. I was a Satellite, I didn't belong there. I felt out of place. 

"All the while, Jack was still Turbo dueling as the king. Cheap radios and TV caught the signals to his matches, and he was doing as fine as ever. And Yūsei was doing who knows what? Not me. I didn't hear anything about him until the Fortune Cup. Everyone was talking about him then, about the up-and-coming duelist from the Satellite. Like I said, people loved him, even when they hated him. He and Stardust make a great combo. 

"In the end, he won, he finally beat Jack. He became known as Satellite's Shooting Star, and he was the next king of Turbo dueling. I was excited. I'd still hoped he'd come back to the Satellite. I wanted to see him again, and deep down, I hoped he'd bring Jack too. That their fight was over and we could meet up again.

"It didn't happen, at least not how I thought it would. Yūsei did come back, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He came back because he wanted to protect the Satellite and the people. He knew he could die, but protecting the Satellite was worth it. He learned about his dad in City and thought it was his fault, Zero Reverse I mean. Which was pretty stupid because he was just a baby when it happened. He took no part in it besides being his dad's son, and it wasn't as if he chose that.

"I never blamed Yūsei, or his dad, for what happened. I don't remember my parents, there's nothing for me to want from a time before Reverse Zero. The only life I know is what I have now, all the good times and all the bad. I could only imagine a better life for all the other kids in the Satellite, what I had was enough." 

Crow smiled. "I was so excited to see Yūsei again," he said. "It'd only been a few months, but it felt like forever since I last saw him. It was so cool too. We both had our runners, and we were dueling together again. The tag team against Sector was like back when we were the Enforcers. We could've gotten caught, but it was so much fun. I wouldn't trade that moment for the world. 

"That was the moment that I realized that I could finally help Yūsei. He came back, and I could keep up with him now. He wanted to save the Satellite, and so did I. My whole world was there, and what more, Jack came back too. I don't know if it was because of getting beaten by Yūsei or something else, but he was back. Even though it was for a second, I was relieved.

"Things turned badly quick though. Because I left my nest and barely made it out alive when I went to take a look at the old reactor. I managed to escape the miasma of the Dark Signers, but it knocked me out for a good while. They . . . They took my kids."

The bird blinked a few times, his eyes turning teary once more, but he didn't shed anything. "It hurt to find my nest empty," he said. "I thought they were really there, but it was just my imagination. I couldn't believe that they were gone. Not a trace of them left behind. It was something like a nightmare, but I was awake. I knew because the pain I felt was real. Then I got angry, and I wanted revenge.

"I went out looking for the Dark Signers again, this time to hurt them like they'd never been hurt before, and I did find one. It was Grieger, the one Yūsei and Jack are going to see now. It was the first time I'd met him, and I was so blinded by my rage. We started to duel, it was already looking bad for me. His deck was tough, but I wanted to beat him, make him pay for what he did. That was why I didn't let Yūsei take my place, it was _my_ score to settle.

"It wasn't my proudest moment. I didn't realize that Grieger was just like me. He lost the people he loved too, his little brother and sister, his entire town. He was hurt, he _had_ been hurting. Just like me. He did everything he could to get his family back. He's a good man who cares, who loves and hopes. That was why when he learned the truth about who took his family, he resisted his Dark Mark. He was part of the reason why I won that duel, why I didn't get devoured by the Earthbound Immortals, and in the end, he used the last moment of his life to push me and Yūsei out the way, to save us. He was a hero to the end."

Bruno smiled. "He sounds like a kind person," he said. 

"And handsome," Crow added, giggling in amusement. "Maybe I should've gone to go see him too."

The designer chuckled. "I'm glad you didn't, it would've been so lonely here."

"You're telling me you wouldn't celebrate? You'd get the whole place to yourself."

"I guess I just like having other people around. I'd feel uneasy if everyone had just gone away."

Crow reached up a hand and pinched Bruno's nose, getting the older man to let out a small noise. "Don't. None of us would leave without you, Bruno. We're friends after all." 

Bruno smiled, feeling warm. "I know. You managed to save them in return, didn't you? Grieger and your kids. You got them all back." 

"Yeah, _we_ did. The duel against Goodwin was like something out of a dream. The world was ending, but it was the first time in a long time that Yūsei, Jack, and I were together again, like _really together_. And we were Turbo dueling, we were soaring like birds of a feather. It was amazing, and it was worth everything we went through to win, the battle damage, the crashes, the near falling from the sky. My hero found his way again. In the end, Goodwin was also a good man who was hurt, he had dreams. He reached them in the end, letting go of his desire for power because he remembered that he just wanted to _go home._ To be with his brother.

"As I was falling, I really thought I was going to die, but it was also one of the happiest moments of my life. I knew my kids were going to be okay, and so was the Satellite. They were finally going to reach Neo Domino and the rest of the world, and I got back my arm and leg. I felt whole again."

Crow paused, a soft light in his eyes. "I didn't end up splat on the ground, of course," he said, "and neither did Jack. Majestic Star caught us. _Yūsei_ caught us, and we were flying again. Without the end of the world on our tails, City was so beautiful from up above, and a sunrise had never been so pretty.

"We achieved our dream, and in no time, Neo Domino and the Satellite were one again. All of the sudden, everything was possible, and there was nothing holding us back anymore. After all the bridges were built, Yūsei, Jack, and I had all the chances to leave again, to do what we wanted. 

"Jack was the one who suggested that we joined the newly announced WRPG, said that we should work on it as a team. You know, he never said sorry for everything that he'd done to us, to Yūsei, but we already knew it wasn't his style. Jack has a way with words, but some things he did better through action and in what he didn't say. Then Yūsei said that we should move in together and that he was already talking to Martha who's been friends with Missus Zora even before Zero Reverse. You might not believe me, but I started crying my eyes out then."

"I believe you," Bruno said with a small laugh, pushing back some stray orange hair from the bird's face. 

Crow closed his eyes, body relaxing at the touch, and he wrapped his arms around the older man's neck, their chest pressed up against each other. Bruno responded in kind, wrapping his arms around the younger man's back. They found peace in each other, in this moment. 

"They came back to me," the bird said softly, voice like a whisper, "and it truly felt like _home_. The entire time we were building the bridges, Jack and Yūsei had been thinking about staying because we can, because they wanted to and they wanted me to stay too, with them. It was just like the time they asked me to leave Martha's and go with them. I realized then that I never lost my place in their lives, even after everything that happened, and all the doubts I held onto just _fell_ away.

"I didn't think that we were going to stay together, I thought we had become too different people. I love my kids, so I could never abandon them, never push them aside for anyone else. I was so happy that Jack and Yūsei wanted me, but I didn't know if I could do it this time. Go with them, I mean. The kids were still depending on me.

"I told Jack and Yūsei that while I was crying. I was feeling so many things at once. Relieved, anxious, tired, excited, and other things I can't name even now. It made my head spin, and I wanted to throw up. I didn't know what to do, or what would happen when I said no. I got scared because I thought they'd take it as me rejecting them or that I didn't want them anymore, that I chose someone else over them. I thought I was going to lose them again, and it'd be all my fault."

Bruno tightened his hold on Crow, his heart clenching in sympathy. He wished he could've been there then to comfort his friend, be there in every moment of sorrow and defeat, of hurt and regret. It made something flicker in Bruno, something faint and distant like a memory, and he couldn't help but think that he had made this wish before. 

"It didn't happen," he said, encouraging the bird, "and it would've never been your fault. Yūsei and Jack would have never blamed you." 

That made Crow smile because the designer was right. "They didn't," he affirmed, taking a second to inhale before exhaling. "It took, what, half an hour for me to calm down. Yūsei held me the entire time with that worried face of his. I felt like a kid again, and I can't say I didn't try to soak in the experience as much as possible. I was sad and happy at the same time, I was _sappy_."

The deisgner chortle, caught by surprise. "Everything went well I'm guessing?" he asked with a playful tone. 

The bird nodded. "I stopped crying, and the next thing I know, me, my kids, Jack, and Yūsei were at Martha's new place now. It's bigger, and she could take in the elderly now too. She has a staff too. She thought we were visiting again, my kids love playing there. I thought so too. We were wrong.

"Jack knelt down to my kids and said the craziest thing. He said, 'Crow'd been taking care of you all this time because he loves you very much, but it's because he loves you so much that he won't follow his dreams. He'd choose you over the world, but I'm asking you not to let him do something like that. Because he can have both, making sure you're cared for and becoming a champion. I want him and Yūsei on my team. Together, we'll win and make ourselves bigger than anything the world has ever seen.'"

Crow pulled back a bit and held up a hand, pinching his index and thumb together. "I was _this_ close to smacking him because he just said _that_ to my kids, that jerk! But he kept going, he said, 'Yūsei and I want Crow to move in with us so we can prepare, but you'll have to stay here, with Martha. She's a good woman, a good mother, and she already loves you because Crow loves you. That's just the kind of person she is, and she'll take care of you just as good as Crow does. So what do you say? Will you stay here with Martha?'

"I smacked him this time because Kokoro, one of my girls, started crying, so everyone else did too. He made my kids cry, I couldn't let that go. I was going to keep hitting him because I got mad, but Daichi, one of my boys, asked why I never told them, told them I wanted to be a duelist like Jack. I didn't have an answer, and they started crying even harder. They were upset that I kept something like that from them. They're good kids, you know, really good kids, they were never a burden to me, they kept me feeling alive when I couldn't imagine tomorrow. I owe them so much, I never meant to hurt them like that. 

"Luckily, Yūsei stepped in and said, 'He's telling you now, he just needed a little help from his brothers. Crow can't imagine leaving you without asking first, so Jack and I are doing it for him. We want him to come with us so we can show the whole world that City and Satellite are one and the same, that people like us can reach the top just like anyone else. Crow wants to do that for you guys because he loves you and Duel Monsters. Jack and I want the same, and now we're back together, with City and Satellite as one, we finally reach our dream.'"

Crow paused. " _Our_ dream," he repeated softly, "to win the WRGP is our dream because we all want to help others realize their potential. That was the reason I was so drawn to Robert, but Jack, Yūsei, and I are doing it our own way, with Turbo dueling. Yūsei reached my kids, and a week later, he, Jack, and I moved into Poppo Time, into a new stage of our lives, and everyone is happy. I'm happy. My kids are being taken care of, I got my brothers back, and I'm dueling in a stadium with thousands of fans cheering and watching in anticipation. It's everything I could've ever wanted."

"And is that why you hope that it wasn't Hiro this morning?" Bruno asked quietly, already knowing the answer. He found it in the shame that crossed Crow's gray eyes. "You want to leave the past in the past."

"I did. I do. But I won't. I don't know what's going on with Hiro these days, but like the time he asked to stay, I can't say no. I know whatever he'll say or do won't affect me, I won't let him. But I'll hear him out, see what he has to say and what he wants. It just wasn't the right time then. Now, though, might be, and it gives me hope.

"At the same time, I don't want Jack or Yūsei to find out, I don't know how they'll feel if I told them everything. And they'll find out because I can't hide in my room or hide Hiro from them forever. The thing about living with family you've known for so long is that they notice things and ask. It's a recipe for being annoying but also the best way to find out things. Jack and Yūsei will gang up on me, they've done it before."

"I see. Then would you like me to come with you tonight or something?"

Crow smiled, and he shook his head. "I have to do this myself," he replied, "but I'd appreciate it if you were here when I come back. I don't know what might happen, but I don't think I'll want to be alone."

"Of course, anything. Hey, Crow, can I kiss you?" the older man asked, feeling the need to do so. 

He could already tell that was the end of the story, that Crow had finished pouring his heart out, and that he was tired. Bruno felt as if he had experienced that before, that he had been the younger man's place. That he had lived the same story, said the same word, felt the same feelings. Loss, hurt, friendship, family, happiness, these were the things he had before, before he woke up on that beach, and he wanted them back, all of them. 

But he couldn't, could he? He didn't remember, but still, Bruno had been so jealous of Crow this entire time, even in the moments that he cried and his shame revealed itself. That was Bruno's shame, and he wanted to apologize, to express his care, his love.

The bird laughed. "Yeah, I'd like that actually," he replied. 

With permission, Bruno raised a hand, and gently, he pushed the loose locks of orange hair away from the bird's face. Crow watched with curious eyes, and they followed as the designer leaned closer, pressing his lips against the bird's forehead. 

For a moment, Bruno lingered, closing his eyes, and he saw an image of someone with hair of faded yellow and purple, lying still without breath. Bruno was kissing him too, the same way he was kissing Crow, but it was a farewell.

_Goodbye, my friend. I will still love you._

The image faded into Crow who was smiling childishly, touching the spot where the designer had kissed him. His expression was light, filled with a shy joy and boundless gratitude. 

"Thanks," the bird said. "You're a pretty sweet guy."

Bruno laughed at the compliment, shaking his head. "No," he said, "thank you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I finished!!! I sure hope the ending worked out well, I always rush those so I'm bad at it. (Gods, I hope everything makes sense.) And special thanks to everyone who reached this piece to the end, it would've hard for me had I been a reader instead of the writer. ^^; Extra special thanks to the three people who's just been reading my YGO stuff, especially my Kizuna works! I see you, and I'm grateful.
> 
> There might be one more chapter to close things up, we'll see.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my Tumblr!: [@the-kings-of-games](https://the-kings-of-games.tumblr.com/)


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